A damning Ofsted report into a failing Suffolk school has said that leaders and governors who were unwilling to work together for the good of the school was behind falling standards.

Ipswich Star: Shotley Community Primary School. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNShotley Community Primary School. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN

Shotley Community Primary School dropped from ‘good’ to ‘inadequate’ following an inspection over two days in November, where a host of concerns were raised.

The report, published on Monday, included a scathing assessment of leadership and management, and said: “Leaders’ and governors’ poor relationships and their unwillingness to work collectively for the good of pupils have directly caused a decline in standards at the school.”

The report continued that “relationships between leaders, including governors, have deteriorated during the absence of the headteacher,” and added “this lack of effective teamwork and a culture of blame have led to a lack of focus on the core work of the school and therefore a decline in standards.”

It said the governors had not challenged the school of undertaken an effective performance review of the headteacher and acting headteacher.

Other problems raised were the inconsistent quality of teaching, work that was too easy for the pupils and poor planning of the maths curriculum.

A spokesman from the school said: “Whilst we acknowledge and accept the findings of the Ofsted report, we were very disappointed with the grading.

“We are absolutely committed to keeping children safe in school and have already made the required changes to the administration to ensure all the systems we use are rigorous and secure.

“We are determined to drive up standards at the school and working with the local authority, we have begun to address the areas highlighted in the report. We will continue to work with our families to help the children achieve the best that they can.”

The school added it was pleased with its early years provision and the cultural and ethical development of pupils.

In September Suffolk County Council issued a warning to the school that unless the leaders and governors began working together an interim executive board (IEB) of governors would be appointed.

The IEB application was going through in November when the inspection happened, and a temporary board of governors is now in place.

A Suffolk County Council spokesman said: “We’re working closely with the interim executive board at Shotley Primary School to address rapidly the issues set out in the Ofsted report.

“The school has already begun to implement changes and with further support, we’re confident that improvements will continue and that Ofsted will see the evidence at the next inspection.”